Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

No Left Turns

Lincoln and McClintock

To add a footnote to Eric Claeys’ and Peter Schramm’s posts: The question here is how to get Davis out without getting Bustamante in. Conservatives have to win two votes, Davis one. Davis can win by campaiging against conservatives (hard) and against Bustamante (softly, e.g., signing the illegal alien driver license bill, which I think was a terrible mistake, politically, for him, as well as being despicable legislation to begin with).

In one view, McClintock may prove his irrelevance to the Republican Party in California by staying in and fading away to a distant third, behind the victorious Ahnold and Bustamante. Yet, his distance from the Ahnold campaign may be a boost to it as well: It makes less credible the likely last-minute assault by Davis of "right-wing coup" charges. If McClintock voters stay away from the polls altogether, that might help Davis on the all-important vote #1, getting him out.

If, and of course one mustn’t anticipate victory, Ahnold and McClintock together poll more than 50% of the vote, it might signal the beginning of a governing majority in California that had a significant conservative presence. Building it in the legislature is a long-term project, made formidable by redistricting that freezes into place current Democratic majorities. Governing by plebiscite (initiative), where conservative issues can come to the fore without support of the "rotten boroughs" exacerbated by the weight of the illegal immigrant population, appears to be the only significant short-term answer. Ahnold could be a powerful presence in this strategy. Of course, first he needs to win.

Discussions - 1 Comment

"The question here is how to get Davis out without getting Bustamante in."

Ah! Now I understand your problem. No, Virginia, the question isn’t "how to get Davis out without getting Bustamante in". It’s how to fix California’s fiscal woes. Neither Davis, Bustamante, nor "Conan" have a clue as to how to do this. Tom McClintock does. Now, if your only desire is "win one for the Gipper", well by all means elect someone who is going to fail and at the same time allow the Democrats the opportunity to blame it all on the Republicans. However, if you think a solution is better than another "pretty face", then elect someone who has the right answers.

Personally, the more I see of Californians - Republicans or Democrats, leftists or conservatives, the more I believe the only salvation for the State is the "Big One"! You folks seem more interested in "Style" than "Subsistance".

As for "McClintock’s idea" of taking necessary fiscal legislation to the people, should the California Legislature refuse to enact it, the ONLY referandum supported by your man, "Conan, the Barbarian", took more State money from an already stressed budget and put it into another "Big Nanny" government program. Frankly I shutter to think about the types of "plebiscites" the Terminator may lend his considerable persona and photo-genic physic to, but a "gay marriage initiative" is probably not out of the question. I am sure he will first clear any such move with his uncle Teddy. Just what is it in the "Terminator’s" issues, positions or background that gives you the idea that he might lend himself to promoting anything "conservative". Before Arnie lends his "weight" to any conservative causes, he would require a full frontal lobotomy, and not the voters’ mandate.

I am not sure how anyone in good conscience could expect Tom McClintock to drop out and throw his support behind someone who is both pro-abortion and pro-gun control. If McClintock weren’t in the race, I doubt he would even cast his vote for such a candidate. I know I wouldn’t, as "George the Elder" found out in 1992 after he showed his true strips. Just having the "R" behind your name is not sufficient cause to vote for someone, if their entire belief structure is diametrically opposed to yours. But is seems too much to expect Californians to understands such esoteric concepts as retaining one’s principles.

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